Green Tea Cause Gout and Head Aches?

by Brian
(Detroit)

I am a moderate sufferer of gout, especially when I consume the wrong foods such as spinach, peanuts, mushrooms, red wine, and too much coffee.

So I am trying to drink and enjoy more green tea. The problem is I seem to be getting a head ache and I'm thinking it is from a lack of caffeine.

So I am drinking 50 ounces of green tea per day plus another 50 ounces of water. So I have two questions.

The first is will all this green tea consumption increase the likelihood of gout attacks?

Secondly, are these head aches caused by too much green tea or possibly a lack of caffeine?

I am in good health.

Answer:

Brian, I am not an expert of gout here I will give some common sense advice from the point of view of tea.

First, 50 ounces of green tea - assuming 8 ounce per cup - equates to about 6 cups. This corresponds to the top limit I advise for a beginner tea drinker. I normally recommend 3 to 6 cups.

So if you are just starting, you may want to start with 3 cups a day, then gradually increase. It takes a while for the body to adjust to the tea compounds.

Second, there are many types of green tea, some more processed than others, with the better ones containing much more antioxidants than the others.

I highly recommend unprocessed loose green tea made from young tea buds with no flavoring whatsoever.

For further information reads:

Green Tea Beverage Brands - Best Of 7 Types Reviewed

Finally, there is some evidence that green tea can help with gout, but it is by no means conclusive.

Multiple actions of EGCG, the main component of green tea

I hope this helps.

Julian

Comments for Green Tea Cause Gout and Head Aches?

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Sep 13, 2010

You can avoid acidification
by: Arky

Tea contains acidic compounds such as tannins. These might, conceivably, exacerbate gout.

(Pomegranate seed is also high in tannins, incidentally. You can buy this from asian food stores under the name 'Anardana'.)

Either way, a simple solution to counter potential acidity in your tea brews is by including celery seed and/or dandelion leaf or root.

If you brew tea from these ingredients, you will have a profoundly alkalinising beverage (as well as a highly cleansing one - your liver will thank you).

Although I do not suffer from gout, I myself frequently add herbs including dandelion and celery seed to my white and green teas, to balance them and to add electrolytes.

I sometimes also add herbs like thyme and rosemary (powerful brain antioxidant oils).

I appreciate that purist tea drinkers will whince at this, from a flavour point of view, but I'm not drinking expensive teas, just those from my local health foods store.

I drink tea primarily for the catechins etc. - flavour is only a secondary consideration for me.

Please bear in mind that most teas (including those brewed from dandelion) are highly diuretic in nature and so can result in mineral loss if you don't take care to ensure good mineral intake in your diet, and also ensure you don't drink tea near to mealtimes, so that you avoid impeding absorption of dietary minerals.

Jan 07, 2019

Green Tea Caused My Gout Symptoms
by: Robert Vanderhoof

Green tea flavored with Jasmine greatly exacexacerbated my gout symptoms. I drank about 3-5 cups a day and my gout symptoms were frequent and terrible, regardless of diet. When I cut out the tea my gout symptoms disappeared. I now eat what I want with no worries.

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